Not always the sole factor. For AA, it has always been a control issue, product/brand protection. Since the merger/bankruptcy cost factor has become more important to them then control & branding.

If you remember, prior to the bankruptcy merger, non owned feed providers were called American Connection. Only owned carriers were American Eagle. That was when the control and branding were more important.... back when having a top line global product was important, not trying to beat the LCC's at their own game.

People who were at Eagle before it was Envoy remember a day when the weren't MEL's all over the place, when something broke, it got fixed by the next day, two at most. A time when Eagle wings were hard to earn, not show up with 1450 hrs and fog a mirror. A time when a low time new hire was well over 3000TT if not much more. A time when the FO didn't immediately try to turn his cell phone on right after clearing the runway (after checking his GoPro of course). A time when guys wore the uniform correctly and proudly, with their hats, and no bakpacks and ear buds be-bopping through the terminal to the latest tune.

I digress.....

LOL

Cheers